Perry goes big on border security

Rick Perry closed his speech at the Values Voter Summit with a long, strongly worded passage on border security, declaring that he had “lived and breathed this issue” and reiterating his openness to conducting U.S. military operations in Mexico.

The Texas governor drew repeated applause from the crowd with his hawkish rhetoric, which appeared to be aimed at quieting concerns on the right about his views on immigration.

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“What we are seeing south of our border is nothing short of a war being waged by these narco-terrorists. They represent a clear and a present danger,” Perry said. “They are peddling poisons to our children.”

Perry continued: “In the face of this threat, we shouldn’t take any options off the table.” He pointed to U.S. action in Colombia as a precedent.

Perry alienated many on the right with his defense last month of a Texas law granting in-state tuition to the children of illegal immigrants. Mitt Romney has attacked him repeatedly on the issue.

On Friday, Perry emphasized that he opposed giving amnesty to people who “broke the law to come into this country,” and that he believes federal border policy has been a “failure.”

Perry’s speech leaned heavily on his economic record, and on the anti-tax, anti-regulation bullet points he’s been using since he entered the race. But Perry also assured the audience that he was an authentic social conservative – leaving implicit the contrast with Romney, who has changed his views on abortion.

“For some candidates, pro-life is an election year slogan,” he said. “For me, it’s about the absolute principle that every human being is entitled to life.”